The Tiger Girl
by TheCaramelSecrets
Summary: Guided by her father's last words, a mysterious girl attempts to assasinate Rikuo. Secrets about her are revealed as Rikuo aids her in her hunt for the truth behind her father's death. Rated T, just in case.
1. Just Not My Night

Like a shadow, she landed, camouflaged, on the thatched roof. The night concealed her, protected her, encouraged her. It meant that the night approved of her revenge, and wished to aid her in her quest. She sniffed; the raw yokai aura was overpowering. The house may be a mansion, but how many yokai could _seriously _live there? She had already accepted that she wouldn't escape alive. There was no way that this clan of murderers would let her leave in one piece- or ever. She twirled a lock of her hair in nervousness, tangling black with orange streaks. Tucking it back into her headscarf, she adjusted the loose ninja-like outfit to conceal as much of her pale skin as possible. She couldn't do this. But she had to. Was she even capable? She shook her head, hardening herself to the angst, and fell forward.

She flitted down in front of the Nura Clan emblem carved into the wall. If her information was right, then their leader would appear any second. She tensed; some kind of huge, menacing form passed within inches of her face. Her tail tip twitched, but the shadow didn't notice. She suddenly realised that he was drunk, the smell of sake rolling off of him like fog.

_What a joke. _She couldn't believe that the Nura Clan- the leaders of the yokai world- would allow their guards to get drunk while on duty. She nearly gagged at the thought of what the leader of such an organization must be like. Father had shown her paintings, photos, and even a stray playing card blown away from some loud human kid and his loser buddies. None of the pictures of Nurarihyon matched up with his description of the Supreme Commander and Lord of Pandemonium. She assumed that his form was a guise, that there was some amazing, scary yokai beneath that wrinkled exterior. Of course, it would be easier for her if he _was_ just an old man. Should she be glad or disappointed?

_I shouldn't feel anything. That man- _Her thoughts broke off as she heard a call from inside the parlor. The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons burst out of the doors, and at their centre was a long-haired figure. His white hair stuck straight out the back, and he donned a navy blue _haori_ with the Nura Clan's emblem embroidered in white on the back. That was him! She flitted back to the roof, and waited for an opening. Just then, a small black crow wearing a hat dove in front of Nurarihyon, and began beating his wings excitedly while chattering about something that was apparently happening inside. The long-haired yokai stopped, and turned as if to re-enter the house.

Seizing the opportunity, she lunged at his exposed back. She unsheathed her claws and flipped up her silver arm blades. The crowd below shouted in surprise and anger, but all she heard was the roaring in her ears. The murderer looked up-

Suddenly, she was yanked to a stop. Some sort of fabric- were they strings?- bound her entire body. All her limbs were stretched out in different directions as if she was some sort of human compass. The strands held her tight, so tight that it was painful, so tight that she could barely breathe. She cried out, not from pain, but from desperation. _So close_, her mind screamed. _So close!_

A large hand grabbed her shirt without warning, and she yelped as she was pulled downwards while still bound. Her limbs straining, she turned away from the huge face with it's blank, white eyes. His hair was in what looked like dreadlocks, but grey and standing up almost straight. Her research told her that it was the yokai Aotabo, Strike Team Leader. She had researched him, so she knew that there was no way that she could fight her way out of his grip.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Aotabo screamed at her, "and WHY would you TRY TO KILL MASTER?"

She could sense that everyone was waiting for her response. She shifted her weight to look around; there were many angry glares, a couple murderous stares, and one totally placid expression from Nurarihyon. How the hell could he just stare at her like that? When she had just tried to _kill _him, for crying out loud! He held her gaze and, almost like he could read her mind, he smirked at her.

That was the last straw. Her anger exploded, and she yelled straight at his face,

" My name is Chihiro Tora- and Nurarihyon killed my father!"


	2. A Hit Gone Wrong

Chihiro smiled in dark satisfaction at the shock on the mob's many different faces. Surprisingly, Nurarihyon looked just as shocked as anyone. His red eyes were stretched wide, and it suddenly made him look younger. Even though he must be ancient, his face still kept all pretenses of youth. She noticed her bonds loosening slightly, and seized the opportunity. She twisted, gracefully escaping the red ribbons that had held her aloft. Everyone was still in shock, so by the time that they had recovered, she had already made it back to the roof. She crouched, ready to spring. She put all of her strength into her legs, tensed and then-

_Thud. _Something heavy and cold struck her on the head. Her last thought before passing out was _What a hell of a stupid way to die, pounded by a snowball._ She felt herself fall, and as she fell, she shifted. Shifted into a form that made everyone below gasp.

(Rikuo's POV)

The crowd gathered around the body, caught at the last moment by Kubinashi and Aotabo. Her body steamed, and her claws dissolved into wisps of smoke. Her hair lost most of it's orange highlights as they seemed to melt into plain black hair. Even her teeth dulled themselves, turning from fangs into plain human teeth. Her clothes, however, remained in the same form that they had began as. Her head lolled to the side, pieces of Yuki-onna's ice bomb still stuck in her headscarf, which turned out to be a simple black scarf artfully twisted to cover her mouth and nose. Rikuo almost laughed; she had obviously tried to look like a ninja, but had settled for a long black kimono over a black tracksuit. She knew what she was doing, though. If she hadn't jumped out and attacked him, then he doubted that she ever would have been caught. He reminded himself to double security on the roof, for good measure.

"Ao, Kubinashi. Take her to see Zen. If she wakes up, bind her hands. I wouldn't want her to hurt herself…" Ao nodded, and Kubinashi began weaving his strings into an impromptu stretcher. They picked it up, then began negociating their way through the crowd towards the medic's room.

_Won't Zen be surprised_, thought Rikuo sarcastically, _that I chose to treat someone who tried to kill me. Whatever. This whole ordeal is giving me a headache. _

"Everyone! Tonight's Parade has been called off. Maybe I'll see if Mom can whip up some snacks instead."

Walking deftly through the cheering crowd, Rikuo made his way into his quarters, where he sat on his bed and began thinking. He changed silently back into his human form as the sun rose. Deep in his own thoughts, he barely noticed the passage of time until a small attendant- Tofu-kozo if he remembered right- announced that "the prisoner girl" had woken up. Rikuo sighed deeply and followed him out.

Apparently Kubinashi had misunderstood his instructions to "bind her hands" if she woke up. The girl looked like a crimson mummy, with her entire body obscured by red string. only her glaring amber eyes were exposed, but there was enough fury in them to make up for her mouth being gagged. She turned as much of her head as she could when she entered, and her eyes clearly displayed her surprise at his appearance.

"Knock it off, guys! I said bind her hands, not her body!"

The strings quickly unfurled, leaving pale friction marks all across her body. Only her hands and feet remained bound in string handcuffs, making her slump from the unexpected relief of pressure. She righted herself proudly, and immediately began yelling.

"Who are you? Why didn't you guys kill me yet? Do you want to kill me slowly too? Or torture me? You guys are sick murderers, all of you! Where is Nurarihyon? I swear, I'll- Mmfmmfhh!" Her next words were muffled by the block of ice now secured over her mouth. Rikou sighed, but didn't tell Yuki-onna to remove it yet. He preferred that he could get a word in edgewise first.

"My name is Nura Rikuo, Third Head and Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan. Last night, you, uh, Chihiro Tora, tried to kill me via ambush. You claim that Nurarihyon killed your father. Well, I am his grandson, so I will speak in his stead. Now, what proof do you have that Nurarihyon killed your father?

(Chihiro's POV)

The memory of that night rushed back into her, before she could stop it. She didn't want to remember, didn't want to see Papa again, not like that. But before she realized it, she was reliving the last day of Papa's life, the last day that she was truly alive as well.

"Papa, I found a patch of berries over by the stream! The're delicious!" I pushed upen the cottage door, my arms holding a full basket of berries. Papa and I lived in the middle of the mountains, where no one ever went. There was a sort of barrier around out little patch of land that no human could ever wander into. They would just appear, suddenly, at the other side. Our cottage home was humble, lit with lamps and lacking in electricity, but we cooked over our fire, and got water from the stream. We were happy.

That all changed when I walked in.

"Papa!" I ran to his side, crouching over him as he lay bleeding on the floor. There was an enormous gash across his chest, and his fur was slick with blood.

"No, no, no, Papa! Who did this?"

"N-Nura…" he whispered, almost unheard over the rattle of his lungs.

"Find Nura Clan. Find Nurarihyon. You must-" He broke off into a wheezing cough. I clutched his head, rubbing his ears, telling him that I would find them, no matter what. That seemed to soothe him, and then-

And then he-

"Nurarihyon killed my father! I know it! My father's dying words told me to find Nurarihyon and avenge his death! I _will_ avenge him! I'm all alone-" She broke off with a sob, and slumped over onto herself. Someone put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. She didn't want their fake sympathy. She looked up to see the kid's face, and was surprised to see that his expression was brand new to her. She'd expected to see him angry at the accusation, or sympathetic for her father, or even proud of his clan's deed. But his expression was one so complex, so deep that it confused her. Knowing. Sad. Angry. None of them quite fit. The kid's expression looked ancient, like someone who has been through too many wars in his life.

But this kid- She suddenly digested what he'd said before. She hadn't attacked Nurarihyon last night- she'd attacked this totally human-looking kid! This kid was the same one as the night before, and this kid was the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan. This kid was her enemy's grandson. But then-

"Might I ask… Why are you in human form? You wouldn't happen to be… half-yokai?"

The Supreme Commander kid started. She saw shock in his eyes, then confusion, then understanding. He smiled.

"I might ask you the same questions, Ms. Tora. Actually, I'm only quarter-yokai. My grandfather an father both married humans. I can only access my yokai form at night or in complete darkness. Judging by your question, and instantly assuming that I'm part human, is it possible that you yourself are half human?"

Chihiro glared. This kid was smarter than he looked.

"Master," questioned a tall man dressed totally in black, "are you sure that it's safe to tell her your secrets like that? She just tried to kill you!" He shook his staff for emphasis.

"Kurotabo, this is all just a misunderstanding. Once it's sorted out, everything will be fine. Now," he stated, turning to Chihiro, "I understand how hard it is to have a father die right in front of you. It happened to me when I was four years old. This doesn't mean that you are excused, though. Attacking someone before you gather all the facts is reckless and stupid. You can't just charge into things before you know what happened."

She flushed. This kid- no more than 16, apparently- was lecturing her on being stupid! Not only that, but he was trying to relate to her, saying that his father had died also. Even if that were true, there was no way that she would sympathize with him. He was a whole year younger than her. That meant that she knew more, and could probably beat him up too. Of course, he was the Lord of Pandemonium…

"Wait!" Chihiro blinked as the kid suddenly put up his hand like he'd had an idea. "What if I ask Gramps? He might know something more about your family. Do you belong to a clan?"

Before she could answer, the little hatted crow from before piped up from inside the kid's rice dish. Chihiro was slightly pleased to note that she was not the only one surprised by that.

"This young lady belongs to Tora Clan, or Tiger Clan. Tiger Clan- if you could even call it a clan- is a ragtag group of beast type yokai, though mostly tiger types. They are led by Hironori Tora- I'm sorry, _were_ led. They never gave alleigance to any other clan, and lived in a hidden village in the mountains. I believe that the previous Supreme Commander was aquainted to Hironori Tora, but I have a hard time believing that Tiger Clan's leader would have trusted anyone enough to allow them into his village. Much less a legend like our commander."

"Karasu-Tengu, please track down Gramps and bring him back here. Use any means to persuade him." Chihiro sensed that he wasn't joking. She stared after the little crow as he flew out the rice paper window, barely missing the frame in his haste. If the ice chick who kept assaulting her hadn't opened it seconds before, he would have gone splat and there would be fried tengu for supper. Dang, that would have been hilarious.

"In the meantime, I'd like to learn a little more about you." The kid leaned forward, as if leaning an inch would improve his hearing. She sighed, and launched them all into her memories.


	3. Backstory Time!

**Note: Dang it, forgot the disclaimers. I do not own any characters of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan except for Tora Clan. I wish I did, but whatever. By the way, this story switches perspective a lot, so you have to kind of watch out for that. I'll probably mark when it does change, though.**

"You're right. I am half-yokai. I was born in India, to a human mother. She was so beautiful, and my father fell deeply in love with her. She sold curry- it doesn't sound glamorous, but that's how my parents met. One night, as she was closing up shop, she fell asleep in the kitchen, hunched over in a chair. When she awoke, there was a tiger making off with her curry pot! She chased the tiger, and she cornered it in the hall." She told the story with a soft voice, as if repeating a well-known fairy tale to a child. "The tiger then transformed into a man, wearing tiger skin robes. He regaled her bravery, and smiled at her. He then thanked her for the meal and disappeared. My mother passed it off as a bad dream, but the next night her curry pot had once again been licked clean. She staked out the restaurant, and once again met my father. They met every night after that, and my mother soon became pregnant. Knowing that her village would kill her for bedding with a demon, she escaped with him back to Japan, where they lived in the secret, hidden village where I was born.

"For three years, everything was perfect. But then my mother became depressed, wishing to visit the family that she had forsaken. She begged my father to allow her to go. I would not go with her, of course- an unknown child with no father would be far too suspicious. My father allowed her six months away, and she left for India. She wrote to us every week, sometimes sent me homes presents and trinkets that she had occumulated from her travels. Papa and I missed her, but we were glad that she was enjoying herself.

"Six months later, just as she was about to return home, she was caught in an armed robbery. She was shot and killed by strangers. An accident, they say. It didn't matter. She was gone, and she was never coming back.

"Papa nearly went insane from grief. The only reason that he didn't hunt down the robbers himself was that he didn't want to risk losing me too. If an accident had taken Mama, then why wouldn't another one claim me as well? Anything could happen if he left. So, he stayed, and we mourned her together. The rest of our Clan mourned her, but none of them could console us. Some even left, unwilling to be led by Papa anymore. The rest stayed, but when they realised that they were more of a burden than a pillar, they too left us to find new clans. Papa and I were left alone.

"We lived alone there for thirteen years, just me and him…" She paused, as if deciding whether or not to add something. She glanced up, and from her eyes Rikuo could tell that she was holding something back. Her amber eyes, previously slitted but now rounded again, were hard, defiant- and confused. Why was she telling them all this? Rikuo guessed that it was just to get it off of her chest, having no one to talk to for so long. He suddenly felt glad for the ever-present vassels that he could confide in. Even if they were annoying, they had his back in battle and in peace. Plus, he had Kana and the Kiyojuji Patrol to talk about human stuff with, even if most of their chats somehow got turned back to yokai. This girl had no one, not even a father anymore. Still…

She picked up the story again.

"I was lonely, but he was there, so it was okay. Then, a few weeks ago, when I was out gathering food for supper, someone broke into our home- and murdered my father. They had to have been strong, because no one could enter the barrier without Papa's permission. It seems silly now, not having extra defences set up in our territory. I guess Papa figured that he was keeping me safe with the barrier, and that I might get hurt if we set up traps. Anyway, he was really hurt, too hurt for me to heal. the last thing he said was to find Nurarihyon, and the Nura Clan, to make them pay!"

Her eyes were glazed with pain, and Rikuo winced slightly at putting her through that pain. He thought hard for a few seconds about what she had said. Suddenly something occurred to him.

"Ms. Tora, what _exactly _did your father say before he died?"

She glared. "I just _told you!_ Well, exactly, her said 'Nura, Find Nura Clan. Find Nurarihyon. You must.'" She did an excellent voice imitation of an old man. Rikuo smiled.

"So he didn't necessarily say that _Nurarihyon _killed him, or that you should find Nura Clan to have _revenge?_"

She started, obviously embarrassed that she might have misinterpreted his words.

"W-well, h-he was… And I… Sigh. Guess not."

Rikuo smiled warmly. He was sure that the missing piece would be filled when Gramps got there. Just as he thought this, Karasu-Tengu flew in the open door, a relaxed Nurarihyon following behind. He smiled at the expression on Tora's face, who had obviously not been expecting him to be so… Old. Decrepit. Whatever. Rikuo was sure that she would be even more surprised soon enough.

"Now, Rikuo. What did you drag me over here for? Karasu-Tengu told me about the attempt on your life, but can't you handle that on your own-" He stopped suddenly when he spotted Tora.

"Rikuo, is that Chihiro?"


	4. Wow, Way Off

Everyone in the room turned to stare at the ancient yokai. Chihiro was stunned. He _knew_ her? She had never met him, not that she could remember. She'd only heard about him in Papa's stories. The only way that she knew where to find him was because of her little secret. So how did he know her name?

"Ah, so you don't remember." He grinned wryly. "It has been years, so it makes sense. You were so young then. Why, your mother was still…" He trailed off, but everyone knew what he meant. So they _had _met, only long ago, before her mother had died. It still surprised her that he could recognize her after so many years, but she guessed that her combination of orange streaks and strange honey coloured skin were fairly distinctive. She stared at him, willing the old man to say more.

"I met your father many hundreds of years ago, on Mt. Fuji of all places. We were kindred spirits, if you will, neither of us harbouring ill will against humans. He, however, had no desire to join a clan, so we parted ways. We kept in touch, but I never visited him until a few years back, when he told me of his new wife and daughter. I went to visit shortly after- two years, which is exceptionally short in my timespan- bearing news of my grandson Rikuo's birth. We celebrated together, like men do, drinking ourselves stupid with sake. But once the festivities ended, he told me his fears for his child. 'She is small, her hair is streaked, she changes forms when she becomes emotional. How can she live in either world?' I told him about raising my son, tried to qualm his fears, but he decided to seal himself and his clan off from everyone else- including me. I haven't heard from him in years. Judging by Chihiro's presence here, I must assume that he has passed away, and I will grieve for him once these precedings are over. I trust that there is more to this story?"

After being filled in on the rest of Chihiro's story, Nurarihyon sighed deeply, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I must say, this is quite troubling. Hironori was a dear friend, and to hear that he was murdered- well, it was not the kind of end that I would have seen for him, or preferred. However, I believe that you misunderstood his last words. Seeing as I am obviously not the murderer, he was not trying to identify his killer so that you could exact revenge. He was hardly the kind to endanger you like that, now wasn't he? I believe that he was instructing you to find me in order to join Nura Clan, to be protected by us in his absence. He wanted you to be safe- that was his parting wish. I doubt that he ever foresaw this happening, but he must have planned ahead, just in case. He loved you, dear. More than many people would ever believe."

Chihiro could barely hear him through her sobs. Of course, it all made sense now. Papa would never send her on the path of vengeance- he was trying to provide for her, keep her safe and warm when he no longer could.

"Papa-a…" she sobbed, "Papa-a-a…"

She sobbed for her father, but also for herself. What would become of her now? Nura Clan would surely throw her out, and with no home to return to, where could she possibly go?

What now?


	5. Playing With Fire, Joking With Ice

**Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own any of the characters that were ACTUALLY featured in Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. If the author decides to use MY characters, then that would be wicked, cause I own them. YEAH!**

Chihiro stared at the room full of yokai before her. She was still fuming about the stupid hearing, where she'd found out what her Papa had really meant from his last words. That had been devastating enough, but what had happened after had left her shellshocked and furious.

Apparently, until they figured out what to do with her, she was to elp out in the kitchen, preparing meals and washing dishes. What the hell? No dungeon, no shackles? Sure, working in a nice, clean kitchen was better than a dirty cell, but she almost wished that they'd sent her there instead. At least she was safe in a cell.

Now, she was crammed into a room with dozens of yokai who had just witnessed her attempt to kill their commander. Plus, all of them had access to knives, fire, and assorted yokai powers. How hard would it be to make her "slip" while cutting leeks? If the string dude was any indication, theseyokai knew how to get even without getting in trouble.

So here she was, acting out a sort of community service here. String Dude introduced her to the staff, but no one responded with anything more than piercing stares. Not that she did much better. She stared back just as hard.

She was escorted over to the preparation area, where she stood beside a strange girl who, despite the heat, wore a patterned scarf. Her light blue and black hair hung loose, shielding her eyes from view. When Chihiro approached her, she turned to stare. Just then, Chihiro noticed that all the food that she had been preparing was frozen solid.

"It's you!" they cried in unison.

"You tried to kill Lord Rikuo!" the snow girl accused.

"You gave me an ice concussion!" Chihiro retorted.

"I think that it was justified," she growled, "seeing as you tried to kill my Commander!"

"Touchè. We kind of resolved the issue, though. Turns out Nurarihyon was my father's friend, and that Papa wanted me to _join _Nura Clan, not_ destroy_ Nura Clan. My bad."

Snow girl almost cracked a smile at that. _Maybe not everyone hates me, _Chihiro thought hopefully. This girl didn't seem so bad. Maybe, if they let her stay…

No. That would never happen.

"You know, you're not the first one to try to kill Lord Rikuo."

Chihiro turned to her in surprise.

"What?"

"Yeah, well, a few years ago, Lord Gyuki tried to kill Lord Rikuo because he felt that Rikuo wasn't fit to be Commander. He tried three times; even after her nearly killed Lord Rikuo, Master still forgave him. Now he's one of Lord Rikuo's most trusted advisers. Lork Rikuo isn't the type to hold a grudge.

"By the way-"

"Yes?"

"What did you think of Lord Rikuo?"

"Well, um-"

"Because if you so much as _think _about moving in on him, I will freeze you so bad-"

"Whoa! Hold on there, girl. Believe me, he's not my type. You can have him."

She laughed. "I'll hold you to it. You can call me Yuki-Onna- or Oikawa."

"Okay, Oikawa. I'm Chihiro Tora, but you can just call me Chihiro. Now, what do you want me to do?"

So, just like that, Chihiro had made her first friend- one who had just moments before been her enemy. They chatted for hours while chopping carrots and stirring soups. Oikaw a talked about her fear of fire, while Chihiro confided her fear of butterflies.

"They're so creepy, with their gross little bodies, the way they flock at you…" Oikawa just laughed.

"Fire is understandable- I can die from fire. But butterflies? Really?"

"Bad childhood experience…" She shuddered. Oikawa laughed so hard that she bent in half, clutching her stomach.

"It's not funny!" she protested, though she was laughing too. A long-haired yokai walked sternly over to the giggling girls.

"You're not here to have fun, you're here to cook. Get at it!" She wagged her finger sternly, then turned back to her station.

"Stupid Kejoro. She's so old, she's forgotten how to have fun." Oikawa squealed as she was suddenly whipped by Kejoro's brown hair. Chihiro laughed, until she too was grabbed by the livid locks. They were thrown out, and the hair harpy yelled after them to clean the Kappa pond.

"That's okay. Kappa's way more fun. Maybe he'll let us play waterball!" The girls laughed, and dashed out to get started.


	6. Does This Count as Harassment?

Once they were outside Chihiro realised that it was already night, probably past nine o'clock. Talking with Oikawa had made the hours fly by, and she hadn't even noticed the lights' gradual transition into darkness. She surveyed the area, taking in the cherry tree, pond and assorted yokai. Grabbing a random bucket (that she hoped no one was already using), she headed over to the pond. She noticed a pure whitedisk floating on top. Looking harder, she realized that it was actually the full moon, the still clear water acting as a mirror. She didn't see any kappa, but suspected that he must simply be underwater.

"So what do we do now?" she asked Oikawa without looking up from the moon's reflection on the water. It shuddered as she knelt and dipped a hand into the pool.

"Y'know, kappa loves cucumbers."

She jumped as a deep voice sounded from above her head, causing her to fall headfirst into the pond. Spluttering, she recoiled, only to come face-to-face with a kappa. His black hair-like headfins trembled slightly, but he was otherwise completely unfazed by the stranger lying in his pond. Chihiro scrambled out of the pool, muttering mingled curses and apologies. She looked up to see the long-haired Commander kid sitting in the cherry tree, smirking down at her.

(Rikuo's POV)

She looked hilarious, her face all screwed up in anger and embarassment, her black and orange hair all stuck to her face. Kappa just floated there, totally at ease. Tsurara stood there on the bank, looking confused and shocked. Rikuo smiled. This was just like when Yura-

His heart lurched, and his smile flickered. Yura.

He looked down at Chihiro again. She was so mad that she was steaming. No, shifting. The smoke was gathering, condensing into claws, fangs, and a tail. Her streaks grew and brightened. Her pupils rippled, then became ovular, pointed. She crouched, glaring up at him. He laughed- she sprung. She reached out to him, claws extended, then yelped as she passed right through him as if he were made of shadow. He started openly laughing, with Tsurara joining in nervously. Kappa bubbled, enjoying the show. Rikuo tossed him the cucumber he had brought, and received a garbled thanks. He turned to look at Chihiro, now crouched on the roof.

"Papa told me that Nurarihyon's power came not from strength, but from the way that no one could even touch him. That was it, right? The Fear of Nurarihyon? Pretty impressive."

Rikuo smiled. "So what's your Fear?"

Surprisingly, she grimaced. "It's… difficult to explain. Papa never really let me practice, so I can't quite do it right."

"We could help you. Train you. Seeing as you're going to join us, you might as well be useful. Apparently, the kitchen is not the place for you."

She smiled, her face disbelieving, as if she weren't quite sure if she was dreaming.

"I can stay?" She said it as if she was ready to be proven wrong.

He was surprised. "You thought we'd throw you out? We're not evil- or stupid. How many yokai do you think could pull off sneaking into here? If not for Kubinashi, I'd be tiger food. I'd rather have skills like that on my side."

She grinned into her hands shyly, her anger apparently subsiding. He suddenly thought of something.

"So what makes you shift? My father could control his transformation any time, but yours…"

She nodded. "I'm still working on that. Mostly, I only shift when I'm really emotional. If I'm really happy in my yokai form, I'll turn human. If I'm really angry in my human form, I'll turn yokai. I can sort of control it when I need to," she looked down, suddenly realising that she was seated two stories up on a roof, "such as right now, as I need yokai powers to get down. It was never really important before, living with Papa…" She trailed off, her face tightening like she was holding back tears. He smiled sympathetically. He leapt from his perch to sit beside her on the roof.

"I could carry you down, you know." He felt satisfaction at her blush, and felt an immediate wave of crimson anger from Tsurara. He grinned down at her to try to convince her that he was joking, but she stormed inside anyway, knocking Natto-kozo off his feet. He grimaced, knowing that everyone would suffer now. Tsurara was more evil than Nue when she was in a mood. He would have to apologize. Damn.

"So, training. I could get Kubinashi to train you…" He loved her look of shock and fear at that.

"The sadistic string dude? No thanks. I'd rather not be mummified again."

He smiled. "I could send you to Tono- that's how I learned. But no, I don't hate you enough for that…" He sighed dramatically, pretending as though he was out of options.

"Well, I guess I could train you myself. If you're okay with that." When she looked up, surprised, he continued, "Good. We start at dawn. Be ready, Chihiro."

And with that, he leapt off the roof, landing in front of a very surprised Natto-kozo. He turned, smiling, and made off towards his room.

(Chihiro's POV)

She was still thinking over what he'd said. She pulled Eri out of her pocket, and smiled at him.

"I guess we're staying, Eri. Do me a favour, would you? Get some intel on the Nura Clan- but not like last time. This time, I want info on who to trust. If you find anyone with even an inkling of treason in their heads, then tell me. I don't want to mess this up. Okay, Eri? You're my little partner." She nuzzled him, then let the little black puff float off, no doubt already gathering info on the Nura Clan. She felt a flicker of guilt at spying, but if she was just helping, then it should be fine. If it was for the clan- and herself- then it must be fine.

Right?


	7. For the Love of HalfHumanity

**Disclaimer: Until my evil plot comes to fruition, I do not own Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan or any canon character. Soon, though… Mwa ha ha! BTW The secret about the last chapter is coming up soon!**

"So, how exactly are we going to train, Nura? Um, I can call you Nura, right? Or is it, like, Lord Nura? Oikawa called you Lord Rikuo, but I don't really.. Well, seeing as I've only known you for a day, it doesn't seem appropriate, I guess." Chihiro was nervous, but excited to begin training.

"Nura is fine. Wait…" Nura paused, thinking hard. He was back in human form for the day, and had woken her up bright and early to begin the agreed-upon training. It seemed strange, but she felt now that there was no doubt about the two Nuras being the same person. They both had… something. It was hard for her to put her finger on it.

"Ah!" A look or horror and annoyance froze his face as he apparently remembered whatever he had been thinking of.

"The gang's coming over. Damn, I forgot… Kiyotsuga had some chart that he wanted to show everyone, so we agreed to meet here at…" He glanced at his wrist, and Chihiro was startled to realise that he wore a watch. It looked so out of place on him, with his kimono and wood sandals.

He grimaced. "Crap! Less than half an hour. I have to warn everyone…" He turned to go.

"Wait! What are you talking about?"

He turned to look at her. His eyes lit up, and he studied her for a moment. It made her uncomfortable. If he was any other guy, she would have slapped him for checking her out. Then again for being cyyptic. Then one more for good measure. But she knew him well enough that he wasn't looking at her for fun. There must be some freaky idea brewing in his head- one that would include her, without a doubt.

"Hmm…" Rikuo turned to Oikawa and started whispering. She caught a word here and there; "Human", "Cousin", "Convincing", "Maybe…" They turned to look at her. Oh no.

Nura cleared his throat. "Chihiro, we have an idea. Seeing as you're human- most of the time- why don't you hang out with my friends and me? We have, um, meetings. About yokai, and the supernatural. I'm pretty sure that you'd enjoy hanging out more than hiding." He raised his eyebrows expectantly. She wasn't sure, though. Hanging out with yokai-crazed teens? When she was a yokai?

"Tsurara will be there too…" She brightened.

"Deal."

Nura smiled. She wasn't sure if he looked excited or exhausted.

"Great. Now about your outfit…"

She couldn't believe him. He'd told her to change, but he hadn't told her what kind of clothes were in her closet. Her ninja clothes were being washed right now, so she couldn't even put them back on. Sure, they were dirty, ripped, and smelled like an old sock, but that was better than having to wear-

"A KIMONO? What is this, the Meiji Era? What ever happened to t-shirts?" She kept ranting for a while to get it out of her system. She still had a towel wrapped around herself from when she'd had a quick get-rid-of-the-pondscum shower. Just when she was about to surrender to the kimonos, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it, and Oikawa stepped in carefully, trying to avoid the puddles of water spreading across the floor.

"You don't like the kimonos, right? You didn't really seem the type, so… Here. You can borrow one of my school uniforms. It still has a skirt, but-"

"THANK YOU! Ugh, a skirt is WAY better than a dress! You're a lifesaver, Oikawa!"

Oikawa smiled at her, then left to let her get dressed. Chihiro threw on the outfit, headed to the door, then hesitated. What was she doing? She was going to hang out with humans, when she herself wasn't. She'd never even met a human, besides her mother. How did humans act? Did humans sneeze? What if she gave herself away- would they hunt her down for being a yokai? She was scared.

Gathering her courage, she opened the door. If Nura could do it, so could she.


	8. Let Me Introduce Part of Myself

**Disclaimer: Despite my payments to a totally legitimate pop-up offering ownership, I do not yet own Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan.**

Rikuo sighed to himself. He hoped that Chihiro was a good actor, or else he'd have a lot of explaining to do. Passing her off as his cousin would be difficult, seeing as Kiyotsuga was so curious. The gang had stayed together somehow, even after Yura-

No. Happy thoughts.

He could already hear Kiyotsuga's loud voice from down the hall. Evidently, they had let themselves in. _I hope everyone hid in time, _he thought idly. He slid the door open, and the gang turned to look at him. Kiyotsuga, however, remained oblivious, ranting about some sort of yokai. Noticing that no one was listening, he paused to yell at Shima for some reason. Rikuo laughed, happy at this little slice of normality.

"Hey, everyone! I've got an announcement. My cousin Chihiro-"

Almost as if it was rehearsed, Chihiro peeked into the room, apparently unsure of whether to enter. Rikuo motioned for her to come in, and she sat next to him, her legs folded under her. Tsurara followed after. Rikuo noticed that both girls were wearing high school uniforms. He continued his announcement.

"This is my cousin Chihiro. She's staying with us for a while, and she's interested in yokai as well. She wanted to experience the club, so I said she could join. I'm sorry if I was too hasty. Does anyone have any reason why…"

He trailed off, realising that everyone was already introducing themselves. He smiled, glad that she'd been accepted so quickly. Kiyotsuga immediately launched into a spiel of questions.

"So, Chihiro, what's your favourite kind of yokai? Where are you from, anyways? Nura, why haven't you mentioned her before?"

Before he could answer, Chihiro jumped on it.

"My dad was a cousin of his grandpa, and we lived in India, so we couldn't visit. Um, yeah, they weren't close cousins, and Nura and I had never even met. I don't think that anyone even remembered us. As for my favourite yokai, I like tiger yokai. 'Cause my last name is Tora, see?" She smiled, "So Kiyotsuga, what's your favourite kind of yokai?"

_On no, don't get him going! _Too late. Kiyotsuga's face lit up, and her began a detailed review of every yokai possible. Maki and Torii groaned, Shima rolled his eyes, and Tsurara giggled. Rikuo sighed, but smiled, relieved that she'd gotten Kiyotsuga off his back.

They soon became immersed in discussions revolving around yokai. Chihiro was surprisingly vocal, and made some very good points that made even Kiyotsuga stop and think. They laughed and argued for hours, Rikuo enjoying himself much more than usual. The time flew by all too quickly, and soon it was time for the gang to leave. They waved goodbye as they left, Kiyotsuga yelling something about another meeting. The heavy wooden gates closed behind them, the yokai cheering quietly as they came out of hiding. Rikuo congratulated and thanked everyone, turning to Chihiro to suggest going back inside. Suddenly, Karasu-Tengu swooped in.

"Master!" he gasped. "A Jorogumo has captured your friends!"

Rikuo cried out in anger and fear, changing instantly to his Night form. He felt a rush of relief that the meeting had lasted long enough for the sun to set. Summoning his Night Parade, he set off towards-

"Wait!"

He turned impatiently to look at Chihiro, who was holding out her hands in a pleading gesture.

"I know this is important, but _please _let me come! I can't explain why, but I think I can help!"

He narrowed his eyes, reluctant, but decided against arguing. He nodded quickly, then continued his departure. His friends needed him.

If it wasn't too late.


	9. Spider Bites

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nura. Wouldn't it be funny if I was Hiroshi Shiibashi? But why would the writer write fanfiction? Wouldn't he just put it in the series? Whatever.**

They dashed down the alleyways and sidestreets, following a faint trail of yokai aura. Chihiro could barely see it, so she just followed Nura. Stuck in the crowd, she ended up between String Freak and Blue Dude. She tried edging away, but there were too many yokai, all running in a misty mob. As they entered a wider alley- more of a courttyard, really- they stopped, and Chihiro snuck up to the front of the group. She stared out, her eyes narrowing at what lay ahead.

If you weren't looking hard, you probably wouldn't notice anything unusual about the walled-in area. The dirty bricks were grey, matching the sidewalk in a dingy shade. However, there were four slight distortions on the wall, like looking through water. Each spot was oblong, and about six feet high. They quivered pitifully, like trapped flies. Crouched on the roof above the spots was what looked like a huge, hairy spider the size of a truck. Chihiro shuddered. She hated bugs.

The Jorogumo hissed, spitting see-through thread down onto the mob below. Nura slashed some apart before it hit him. Blue Dude slapped his away, somehow avoiding the stickiness. String Freak leapt nimbly out of the way. Chihiro only just managed to avoid it through sheer luck.

_This is going to get serious, _she thought gravely. She closed her eyes, letting an icy calm fill her heart. Her claws extended, sharpening into deadly points. Her other features, like her tail, she withheld, saving energy. Crouching down, she did her best to avoid flying gobs of silk.

Nura lunged, going for the translucent cocoons, but the Jorogumo jumped in his way, spitting out purple silk that hissed and steamed when it landed.

"Poison," he sneered, scowling. Even Nura seemed hesitant to touch the steaming webs. She felt elated as she realised how to help.

She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nura, handle the spider! I've got the cocoons!"

He looked at her doubtfully, but shot her a look that said, _"I'll trust you"._ He lunged at the spider, drawing it away from the cocoons. Chihiro tensed, feeling energy warm her arms. Four black spheres, each the size of a soccer ball, appeared from her arms. They floated up, waiting for a command.

"Free my friends from those cocoons, Puffs! Be careful- don't hurt them." They whistled dreamily, and floated swiftly towards the silk bundles. They caressed the silk gently, but the bundles tore open as it they had been slashed. The people inside- definitely the gang- fell out, but were caught by the Puffs, each one somehow carrying a person away to safety. She sighed in relief, and the spheres glided back to her. She embraced them, feeling them melt back into her arms. Feeling suddenly fatigued, she sank to the ground, breathing hard. Her adrenaline rush dissipated. She just wanted to go to bed.

She looked up to see Nura staring at her, along with the rest of the Night Parade. She felt self-conscious under all the attention.

"What? Is something wrong?" She frowned.

Nura smiled. "No, It's just that I've never seen a Fear like that before. How did you do that?"

"What, let out my Puffs? I just… let them out. I don't know how it works, ok? That wasn't even all they can do. They were holding back a lot so that they wouldn't hurt your friends. They're my ability, I guess." She shrugged. What was the big deal? Haden't they ever seen Fear before?

Nura grinned, showing his teeth. He winked at her, and she blushed.

'Training you will be more fun than I thought…"


	10. Pots, Pans and Puffs

**Disclaimer: I don't own Nura. I never will. My only solace is my fanfiction- it makes me feel like I do own it. There, I've let out my innermost feelings. Let's begin! PS I know I haven't written for a while but I'm BAAAACK!**

Chihiro blinked at the harsh sunlight glinting off the glass pot. Even though she'd been accepted by the Clan, she was still on kitchen duty. She had teamed up with Tsurara, with Chihiro handling any jobs that involved heat. Tsurara, in turn, helped her with her more mundane duties, like peeling potatoes. Lady Wakana would duck in every so often, shouting encouragements to everyone and brightening the mood. Chihiro could see how Rikuo was related to her. They both had the same incredible charisma, the same ability to change the atmospere with a single word. She liked Lady Wakana. She managed to make kitchen chores a little more enjoyable.

"Hey, Chihiro…" Oikawa questioned hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"There's something that I've been wondering about. Master has a technique called "Matoi", which means that he can harness the powers of his subordinates and combine them with his own powers. Apparently, it only works because he's part human, so…"

"You're wondering if I could do it?"

Oikawa smiled apologetically. Chihiro rubbed her chin, thinking dramatically. Would it be possible?

Suddenly, the little crow poked his head in the doorway.

"That is incorrect, Yuki-Onna. Master is able to use Matoi because he is part human, yes, but also because he is the leader of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. A normal half-yokai," he looked pointedly at Chihiro, who twitched irritably, "would be unable to perform Matoi. She may have other powers unique to her status, however." He nodded, then left. Chihiro rolled her eyes.

"Is he always like that?"

"Usually."

They laughed together, much to Kejoro's annoyance.

"GET BACK TO WORK ALREADY!" The two girls were smacked with Kejoro's hair, along with a panicked Karasu-Tengu.

"Kejoro! Stop-It-Right-NOW-Grfllrf!" The old crow had been flung into a pot of water, and the lid had fallen back on. Seizing their chance, the girls darted out the window, muffling their giggles in their hands.

"Having fun, girls?" They froze. In front of them stood Nurarihyon, smirking at them with a pipe stuck between his lips. He smiled wider, showing his teeth, and casually turned his back and walked away.

"Thank you, Mr. Old Man!" Chihiro called out. The ancient yokai cackled, and waved without looking.

"We're free!" Chihiro was so glad to be out of the stuffy kitchen that she didn't notice a pale hand reach down from the cherry blossom tree until it had a hold of her yukata.

"Yeek! What-"

"I did say I'd be training you. Time to start."

Chihiro panted, trying to catch her breath in the few seconds she had before the next round.

"You don't appear to have mastered control of those… What did you call them?" Nura paused, giving her time to gather enough air to answer.

"Puffs," she spat, feeling pissed that he was so calm and cool while she was sweating like Yuki-Onna in a bathhouse. The training was going slowly, but she had made a little progress.

Round one had consisted of seeing how many Puffs she could summon. Her limit, which she had tested before, had gone up to twelve. These Puffs were very small compared to her preferred size, but it was progress. The Puffs were adorably small, about the size of a tennis ball. Each one purred like a cat, and had shiny golden eyes. She was proud of her ability, until they moved on to round two.

Round two took the problem of the previous stage and made it a challenge. This time, instead of volume, she was stretching the limits of the Puffs' size. This, combined with the strain of the previous activity, meant that she could make only two puffs grow noticeably bigger. Finally, realizing her mistake, she fused all the Puffs together to make one enormous ball, as tall as the Nura Clan house. After the effort of fusing and maintaining the Puffs, Chihiro felt very close to passing out, but was determined to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Round three was the greatest challenge yet. Chihiro was told to fight an opponent using only her Puffs, not her claws or any other physical ability. She had scoffed, making an example of how easily she had penetrated the Nura Clan's defenses. That's when Rikuo scared her.

Smiling at her, he stepped forward and drew his sword.

_Holy crap he's not really going to_-

THWAK!

"Kyaaaaa!"

_Splash!_

Pulling herself out of the pond with a helpful shove from Kappa, Chihiro bared her fangs at Rikuo and tensed, preparing to spring.

Nura wagged his finger as if talking to a child. "Uhn uh, Chihiro. No powers. Stick to the Puffs." She saw red, but released her puffs. They looked like little black cotton bolls, floating peacefully about. But when Chihiro flicked her finger down towards Rikuo, they moved with the speen of a striking cobra.

She was sure that Nura would be outmatched by the ten puffs that swarmed him, but without doing anything, without even moving, the puffs were suddenly behind him, still flying towards where they thought the adversary was. With a surprised squeak, they whirled around, charging again. Once more, they went through without leaving a mark.

"Chihiro," Nura said peaceably, as if they were just sitting down for tea, "do you know what happens when your Puffs are destroyed?"

"N-no?"

Nura smiled and closed his eyes. "We'll have to try and see, won't we?" With one flick of his hand, his sword was drawn, and there was one less Puffon the field.

Chihiro gasped. The sensation she felt was strange and unpleasant. It wasn't necessarily painful, but it was similar to getting the wind knocked out of you. It was just too much, and she fell to one knee. The Puffs shuddered, feeling their master fall.

"Puffs, return," she commanded, but there was very little power behind her words. The Puffs, sensing this, went crazy, shuddering and flying off in different directions. She couldn't let them cause any destruction, not because of her weakness. Steadying herself, she tried again to call the Puffs.

"Puffs! Return to your master!" Finally they obeyed, integrating back into her arms. She gasped, feeling disoriented and weak.

"You don't appear to have mastered control of those… What did you call them?" Nura's voice was watery, but she retorted anyways.

"Puffs," she sneered, knowing that he remembered the names just fine. The yard was still for that moment, everyone waiting to see what would happen next.

Everyone saw what happened, except for Chihiro. Because as quickly at it had frozen, the yard whirled around, a haze of blurry colours and sounds. Then, black, silence, emptiness. No more pain or soreness. Just the nice blackness. It was cool, dark, so comfortable…

"Yuki-Onna! Get Zen!" Rikuo gritted his teeth, berating himself for pushing her so far. This was not just a fainting spell. This was far worse, something that Rikuo had experienced once before, after a fight with the Old Man. He had recovered, but only after a great number of days. His fatigue had also not been as great as hers.

Maybe he had overestimated her yokai power. Perhaps tiger yokai didn't heal as quickly as other yokai. There were so many horrible possibilities, and it was his fault.

Just like Yura.


	11. Missing Pieces

**Hi! I should be doing school :D but I'm skipping :D. Anyways, this is chapter 11, which I am coming up with completely on the fly. Enjoy! Thank you Nayrael! 333**

Zen exhaled, beads of sweat dripping off his face.

"Jeez, Rikuo… What did you _do_?" Zen had known Rikuo for years, and he had never seen him beat up an ally this badly. According to Yuki-Onna, their training hadn't been that hard, compared to Rikuo's training with Nurarihyon, but in that case, why was Chihiro so banged up?

Wait. Banged up was the wrong word. Drained would be better. She literally looked like, in the course of a few hours, she'd lost about twenty pounds. She wasn't fat to begin with, so their biggest problem now was starvation.

"Starvation?" Rikuo had asked when Zen had first examined her, "How is that possible? She ate a normal lunch, and she looked fine before the fight!" He was a little panicked, which was unusual for him nowadays. He used to be a lot easier to panic. _I guess it comes with experience, _Zen mused.

"I don't quite understand it myself," he had confessed, "but she's like a balloon with a leak; only instead of air coming out, her energy is flowing out. Until we find the hole, there's not much I can do." Zen sounded callous as usual, but that was only to disguise the uncertainty he felt. How could he help?

"How long does she have?" Rikuo's voice was strained.

"She's a fighter, Rikuo," Zen assured him, "she won't go down so easily. At this rate, she has three days before her energy runs dry. We need to find the problem before then."

A small knock at the door pulled Zen out of his memory. Looking up, he grunted for whoever it was to come in.

A little boy with ashen hair peeked in, his violet eyes wide.

"Daddy? Is she better yet?" The tiny boy toddled over to kneel at the ashen girl's side. Zen half-smiled at the child, and shook his head.

"Not yet, Yang. I need to find something first." Yang knitted his tiny brow, and pursed his lips. He coughed softly, swallowing hard. Zen frowned.

"Cough no better?"

"It is!" The boy was defiant. Zen smiled.

"Good. Now, recite the three best medicines for fevers…"

(Rikuo's POV)

Metitating helped to clear the mind. At least, that's what Gyuki said. All it did for Rikuo was bring to mind everything going wrong.

"Tsurara," Rikuo called. She knelt beside him, her hand resting on his leg. He clasped it, to anchor himself to reality.

"I- I just can't figure it out. What could have caused it?"

"Relax, Rikuo. Just think back to what started the… the problem." She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Well… She was fine at first. We tried seeing how many Puffs she could summon…"

"She was tired," Yuki-Onna noted, "but fine."

"Then we tried size…"

"Same thing," Tsurara said.

"Then I told her to fight with the- oh no…" His voice rang with dread.

"What?"

"Remember what we tested next?"

"Um…"

"We tested to see what would happen if one of her Puffs was destroyed," he intoned.

Tsurara gasped.

"Oh!"

"Tsurara! There's no time to waste! We have to find that Puff!"

Sure, it had sounded easy when he'd said it, but how do you find something that disintegrated? Even with ever Nura Clan retainer searching, no one knew what to search _for_.

With nothing to lead him, Rikuo had no idea what to do. Even if he could ask Chihiro, she hadn't known anything about it either. He slumped down, frustrated with his lack of information If he could just have one lead…

Squeak!

Something to show him what to do…

Squeak!

One sign, just one sign…

Squeak!

Wait.

Looking down at his hands, he saw a ball of pure black energy nuzzling and purring at him.

"What? How… WAIT!" Seizing the ball, he laughed with relief. They'd found it! The missing piece!

Apparently, he hadn't destroyed the Puff during their training session. He had merely dispersed it, dividing it into essence, making it unable to return to Chihiro. What if, in the absence of one of the Puffs, her energy storage spot- wherever that was- hadn't closed, and was waiting for the last piece of the collection? That would explain her weakness. The energy was being sucked out, seeping through a hole in her spirit. Because she'd been knocked out, she didn't have the energy to call this Puff back, despite it being fully reformed. That meant-

"Tsurara! We have to get this Puff back to Chihiro- now!

He rushed to the medical room, somehow holding the Puff despite it being intangible. Maybe it was because he could turn intangible too. Did intangible + intangible = tangible? Whatever, that wasn't the issue.

"Zen! We've got it!" Slamming the door open, he surprised Zen into spitting up blood.

"R-Rikuo! What are you- What is _that_?" Zen eyed the Puff with confusion.

"It doesn't matter! We just need to put this into her, and fast!"

"Okay, how?"

How had he not considered that? Chihiro summoned them, but there was no way that she was waking up any time soon. Well, she commanded them with a few simple words, so maybe that was worth a shot.

"Um, Puff! Go back into Chihiro!"

Its golden eyes widened incredulously at him. _Are you kidding me? _they cried out.

"Well what do I do, then?!" He was so close, and yet so far. He was getting pretty close to freaking out. Shutting his eyes, he groaned in dismay.

Squeak!

Opening his eyes a slit, Rikuo peered down at the black Puff. Only, it wasn't black anymore. The sphere glowed with an orange luminescence, an aura of power. Chihiro's body glowed with the same light. Light metal to a magnet, the sphere drifted out of his hands and towards the girl's limp form. With a flash, it integrated with her, and was gone.

Chihiro moaned pitifully, and Rikuo's heart felt weak with relief. He'd almost had yet another death on his conscience. Tsurara touched his shoulder, signalling that she shared his relief at Chihiro's recovery.

"Well," said Rikuo, "I guess it's back to normal!" He smiled, and Zen, Tsurara and the barely-noticed Yang stared at him, then all of them cracked up, laughing off the stress and tension.

"Y'know, Tsurara, It's almost lunchtime…"

She laughed. "Say no more. Sukiyaki or Takoyaki?"


	12. The History Mystery

**Hi Readers! Thank you to everyone who's read my story, even if you didn't like it. I had given up on it, but now I'm back! ON WITH THE SHOW!**

She stared out the window, gazing off into space. There was nothing of importance to think about, and that was just fine. She needed the rest. Staring languidly out at the cherry tree, she wasn't really paying attention when a soft object collided with her head.

"Ow!" Chihiro squeaked. Immediately she knew who- or rather _what _it was, but she still whirled indignantly around to face her adversary.

"Eri! You were gone a long time. Where did you go, Hokkaido?" I stroked her soft, furry head as she purred affectionately.

"So, Eri, show me what you learned." Her eyes flashed, and began to glow.

Images flew into her mind, appearing just long enough for Chihiro to absorb the information.

_A little boy, with layered brown hair, watching a man with long black hair being stabbed by a little girl._

_A bus, attacked by ghoulish figures who were terrorizing the small children trapped inside._

_A small version of Night Nura, slaying those ghouls._

_Rats. Snakes. Fire. Water._

_A wolf head flying through a gymnasium._

_Nura at the head of a hundred yokai, facing down a small army of other demons._

_Carnage in Kyoto._

_A four-armed monstrous yokai, eventually defeated using a strange technique she'd never seen before._

_A golden-haired man with black eyes, threatening to kill everyone, then retreating into a hellish world._

_Returning home victorious._

_An emergency in Kyoto, a kraken rising high over the city._

_The kraken spearing a girl of about fifteen years of age wearing a strange white robe._

_Rikuo, attending her funeral, crying over the _Yura Keikain _memorial._

_The innoculation of Rikuo as the Supreme Commander, and the extension of the Nura Clan's influence._

She gasped, breaking out of the flood of memories.

"Eri! You've really outdone yourself. I understand so much more now, about Nura, at least. Is this all true? Duh, of course," She was talking to herself now, overwhelmed with the fascinating images, "you can only record memories, so they must be true. Sheesh, they could make an anime out of this guys' life." 

Eri squeaked, then shrieked in revulsion. She stiffened in alarm, sweeping her view to try to find the cause of her familiar's alarm. Eri suddenly lunged for her, and began chewing on her- Oh.

She was wearing her kitchen apron overtop of her Nura-Clan issued plainclothes. Eri had never seen Chihiro in anything but ninja clothes and dresses, so she must have thought something was wrong with her. She laughed.

"Eri, it's fine. Activate syncronization!" Thoughts swirled out of the half-yokai's mind like water down a drain, flowing into Eri's mind to be processed. After only a few moments, she was up to date.

Chihiro scratched her furry ears. "So, according to your data," she muttered to herself, "there's no other yokai in the Nura Clan or Tokyo area that has a corporeal companion as their fear. That's weird." What made her special among thousands of yokai? Was it her tiger blood? Her halfblood status? Or a combination of both?

_CRASH!_

She didn't have time to process the sound before an enormous black figure tackled her. Her head hit the roof with a dull _Thunk, _knocking her into a swirl of oblivion.


End file.
